Meet Amber Axelton

We were lucky to catch up with Amber Axelton recently and have shared our conversation below.

Amber, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

I overcame imposter syndrome by creating art that represents me. During the pandemic, I needed to forge a new career for myself going forward, and while we were all endlessly scrolling through the internet, it was very easy to look at the people who were already experts in their field and feel like I was never going to measure up. Social media, especially, makes it easy for us to compare ourselves to others and feel like we’re inadequate, but we need to remember that for the most part, what we’re seeing are the success stories, not the path it took to get there. Over time, I learned about graphic design, type design and lettering, and through the practice of creating, I discovered a style which expresses who I am as an artist and designer.

For me, the key to overcoming imposter syndrome is understanding this: nobody does you like you do you. Sure, we can all look to others for inspiration, but what you are building is your own and once you understand that and embrace it and be true to yourself, the imposter syndrome will simply fall away.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m Amber, I’m a lettering artist based in Boston, Massachusetts. I create art prints & stationery for people who love to show their hometown pride. When I needed a career shift during the pandemic, I taught myself graphic design, type design, and lettering art. Because we were nomads due to my partner’s work, it was difficult to carry around a bunch of art supplies, so my iPad and Procreate were the perfect way to learn how to draw while we were on the go. I used our travels and the places I used to live as the inspiration for my work. It all started with artwork I created for my favorite restaurants in Charleston, SC, and that work turned into the neighborhood & location-based artwork I create today.

Now that we’ve settled down in Boston, I’ve been able to keep inventory and start selling products at in-person markets. 2025 is my 1st year selling in person and I love it so much! I’m excited for the upcoming holiday season where I can work with my customers to help them find that perfect holiday gift.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Perseverance, adaptability, and curiosity. Very few of us are instantly successful with our first attempt. Whatever your journey is, you will most likely be met with setbacks along the way. Some of the setbacks may even make you question your journey entirely. What is important in these moments is that you continue to move forward. Maybe your first product launch wasn’t as successful as you thought it would be, so investigate the reasons why it wasn’t and make tweaks along the way so that next time, it will be better.

Secondly, the world is constantly changing. There are new platforms coming out all the time and with the rise of AI, things are changing at a rapid rate. One of the best things you can do for yourself is to be adaptable to these changing markets. Adaptability & perseverance are muscles like any other. The more you practice them, the easier they will be to perform. And remember that perseverance needs to be mixed with adaptability because without it, you’re just stubbornly moving forward even when the data is telling you to make an adjustment. Sometimes we’re so close to our own work, that we can’t see it properly. We need to ask our friends, our family, our community for feedback and be willing to receive that feedback in a way that isn’t personal or defensive. If someone is telling you your message didn’t come across, then it didn’t. So now look at why and experiment with what you can change to make sure what you’re trying to present is received in the way you intended.

And lastly, stay curious about your education and ways you can improve, whether it’s for you personally or for your business. Invest in your education. Do your research. Be curious. You don’t know everything, no one does. We’re taught in this culture to act as if we’re experts, even when we’re not. “Fake it til you make it”, right? It’s almost as if to admit there’s something we don’t know is perceived as a weakness, but it’s not. Educate yourself. Seek out people who are more knowledgeable about something than you are and learn from them. You will have missteps. You’re human. We all are. We all make mistakes and that’s okay. Take each misstep as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

My biggest area of growth this year is my confidence. At the beginning of the year, I was terrified to do in person art markets. I thought I didn’t have enough product to sell and I was afraid that no one would like my art. I was afraid to put myself out there and fail. With the support of my partner and my friends, I took the leap and got my products and my booth ready for markets this summer. The first one was just down the road from where we live and was incredibly successful. So many members of my community came out to support me, and that experience led to many other successful markets this year in the Boston area. With each market, my confidence grew. Complete strangers love my work, and it has been so fun to see what pieces people gravitate to and what speaks to them. I’m now excited for each market because of the people I get to meet and talk to. That in-person feedback has made me feel much more comfortable with people in that I know I have something to offer them and can provide a product that they will enjoy, which has made me feel a lot more confident in myself as a person and my abilities as an artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://evoketypestudio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evoketypestudio/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evoketypestudio/